Rock group Kiss tackles tricky spectacle of indoor football

ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) - Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band Kiss put down their instruments, wiped away the face paint and unveiled their own arena football franchise on Monday, promising to pair the niche sport with the pyrotechnic theater of their concerts.

Seated outside the Honda Center arena in Anaheim, California, the two sixty-somethings stayed true to their trademark self assurance and bravado in their plan to turn an indoor version of American football played on a smaller field with a heavy emphasis on high scores into a top entertainment draw in Southern California.

"We don't compete with anybody else. We set our own trail," Stanley told media assembled outside the arena, which is home to hockey's Anaheim Ducks and only a few miles down the road from Walt Disney Co's Disneyland theme park.

They aim to go where others have failed in a place with no shortage of entertainment and recreation alternatives.

The LA Kiss will be the fourth attempt to establish a franchise in either Los Angeles or nearby Anaheim since the league began in 1987. The team begins their season on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas.

Games will have a carnival-like atmosphere with elephants, fire-breathers, stilt walkers, little people and go-go dancers.

"We are trailblazers, whether it's in rock and roll or now football," added Stanley, who along with Simmons purchased the franchise with two other investors last year. "There's no rivalry because no one can rival us. We're going to stake our claims and mark our territory."

LA Kiss will give the 14-team Arena Football League another shot at making the sport stick in Southern California, the country's second-largest sports market, which has not had an NFL franchise in 20 years.
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